AP —
An 11-year-old boy crashed his pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing eight people, authorities said.
A total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometers northeast of the capital Bangkok, participated in the pilgrimage.
Five monks were killed at the scene and three others died in hospital, Mukdahan Governor Worayan Bunnarat said. Fourteen other people were hospitalized, four in critical condition.
The group started walking 260km to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the accident.
CCTV footage shared by local rescue group Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association shows the monks walking in a line on the side of the road before the truck crashed into them.
Local police said the boy is currently in custody and will be questioned once state child protection officers arrive.
Police said the cause of the accident was still under investigation, but said they had been told by monks that they saw the car swerve before it slid off the road and hit the group.
